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LGA

La Guardia Tower

FAA Control Tower Flushing, New York

Facility Information

Facility Overview
Identifier LGA
Facility Name La Guardia Tower
Airport Name Laguardia
Type Tower
Level Level 11
Core 30 Airport Yes
Airspace & Operations
Hours of Operation 0000-2359 (always open)
Airspace Class Class B
Approach/Departure N90
Overlying ARTCC ZNY
Airport Diagram Airport Diagram (PDF)
Location & Contact
View on full map →
Address LaGuardia Airport
Flushing, NY 11371
Phone Number 347-846-1710

Salary Information

2026 pay for La Guardia Tower, built from the FAA Air Traffic Specialized Pay Plan bands:

Career Level Hourly Min. Hourly Max. Total Pay Min. Total Pay Max.
CPC $88.79 $117.35 $185,303 $244,909
D3 $74.93 $88.79 $156,374 $185,303
D2 $61.06 $74.93 $127,442 $156,374
D1 $47.20 $61.06 $98,507 $127,442
AG $33.34 $33.34 $69,575 $69,575
Total Pay combines Basic Pay, Locality Pay, and the additions listed under Pay Factors, including this facility's 10% Controller Incentive Pay (how CIP works). It excludes premium pay for overtime, nights, Sundays, and holidays.

The maximum above tops the $228,000 federal pay cap because the cap only applies to Basic Pay plus Locality Pay. Differentials such as CIP are paid on top of the cap.

Pay Factors
Facility Level Level 11
Locality Area New York
Locality Pay 37.95%
Controller Incentive Pay (CIP) 10.00%
Local Affordability
Cost of Living Index 112.6 (12.6% above avg)
Cost-Adjusted CPC Min $164,626
How this pay is calculated
Basic Pay (Level 11 CPC band minimum) $125,247
+ Locality Pay (37.95% of Basic Pay for New York) + $47,531
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3) $172,778
+ Controller Incentive Pay (10% of Basic Pay, not of the locality-adjusted figure) + $12,525
= Total Pay $185,303

Amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar, so lines can differ from the total by a dollar or two.

How CIP works

Controller Incentive Pay is a cost-of-living differential under the NATCA contract. It comes from a fixed $30 million yearly pool that has been running out before year-end; when that happens, payments stop until the next fiscal year. It is not retirement-creditable, and at some facilities only controllers on board before a set date receive it.

ATC pay has stalled over the past decade. Marangos & Brown are on a mission to increase pay.

Staffing and Training

Staffing Information, July 2026
CPCs on Board 33 CPCs
CPC Target (CWP) 37 CPCs
Current Staffing 89.19%
↳ Est. Trainee Certifications+ 5.5
↳ Projected Retirements/Losses- 8.5
↳ Academy Graduates1
↳ CPC-IT 0 (Transfer)3
↳ CPC-IT 1 (Transfer)3
↳ CPC-IT 2 (Transfer)2
Training Information, July 2026
Training Time (Avg) 2.29 years
↳ New Hires 3.45 years
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT) 2.11 years
Training Success Rate (Avg) 61%
↳ New Hires 75%
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT) 60%
Travel Days from Academy 4 days

Historical Trends

LGA Staffing Percentages

LGA Personnel Counts

LGA Training Metrics

NCEPT

NCEPT manages controller-requested transfers between FAA facilities. See LGA transfer selections on the Transfer Flow Map.

Eligibility & Staffing, July 2026
Staffing Source Non-Academy Sourced
Incentive Award $40,000
↳ Geographical Incentive + $10,000
TSL (One Training Time) 92.91%
Gaining Target 92.91%
Possible Gains 8
Primary Releases Avail. 0
Secondary Releases Avail. 0
Transfer Activity
Releases, Past 3 Yrs 1
↳ Standard 1
↳ Priority/Other 0
Gains, Past 3 Yrs 15
Last Standard Release 1.5 years ago

Selections, 2016–2026

Gained 39
Released 4
Net +35
Top Origins MMU (5), ISP (3), ALB (2), ELM (2), FRG (2)
Top Destinations EWR (2), MIA (1), PWM (1)

Selections by Year, 2016–2026

Demand Trends

NCEPT Priority

Traffic

July 2025 - June 2026 (12 Months)
Tower Operations 403,451 operations/yr
Average Daily Operations 1,105 operations/day
Peer Group Median
(Lvl 11 Tower)
498,244 operations/yr
Relative Workload -19.0% vs peer median

Traffic History

Administration

Organizational Structure
Service Area Eastern
District New York
HR Region Eastern

Nearest Facilities

JFK Kennedy Tower FAA 11 mi
TEB Teterboro Tower FAA 11 mi
N90 New York TRACON FAA 15 mi
EWR Newark Tower FAA 17 mi
HPN Westchester Tower FAA 22 mi
CDW Caldwell Tower FAA 22 mi
FRG Farmingdale Tower FAA 24 mi
MMU Morristown Tower FAA 28 mi
ISP Islip Tower FAA 40 mi
ZNY New York ARTCC FAA 41 mi